A Robust Indoor Positioning Method based on Bluetooth Low Energy with Separate Channel Information.

Area of Science:

• Wireless communication
• Indoor positioning systems
• Signal processing

Background:

• Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is a popular indoor positioning technology.
• Traditional BLE positioning struggles with signal interference, leading to unstable distance estimation.
• Existing methods often combine BLE channels, limiting accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the adaptability and robustness of BLE indoor positioning systems.
• To develop a novel method utilizing individual BLE advertising channels for enhanced accuracy.
• To reduce positioning errors in complex indoor environments.

Main Methods:

• Establishing separate signal-attenuation models for each of the three BLE advertising channels.
• Assembling channel-specific distance measurements using a decision strategy for improved stability.
• Implementing a weighted trilateration method incorporating distance uncertainties for optimal positioning.

Main Results:

• The proposed algorithm achieved a distance error of less than 2.2 m at 90% confidence.
• The positioning error was less than 2.4 m at 90% confidence.
• Positioning error was reduced by 33%–38% compared to traditional methods across various devices and scenarios.

Conclusions:

• Utilizing individual BLE channels significantly enhances indoor positioning accuracy and robustness.
• The proposed method offers a more stable and reliable approach to BLE-based localization.
• This technique provides a substantial improvement over conventional BLE positioning strategies.